The days of Tottenham Hotspur greeting even the most unlikely of setbacks with bemusement have long gone. Their supporters left White Hart Lane on Sunday with optimism shrivelled by another defeat and excruciating reminders all around as to why this club has been condemned to its worst start since 1912.

News quickly filtered through that Jermain Defoe had scored Portsmouth's winner against Stoke City at Fratton Park, cruelly following up the Champions League goals by Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov in midweek. The apparent answers to Spurs' current toils are gleefully plying their trade elsewhere. A strike force that was once the envy of the Premier League has been surrendered, albeit largely reluctantly, and there is next to no evidence that the replacements are ready to thrive in their stead.

Failure is always relative and Tottenham's display in losing to Hull City was actually one of their more coherent this season. They had, at least, created chances and struck the woodwork twice, their performance driven on by Jermaine Jenas's energy in midfield and the in-roads made down the flanks by Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale. The full-back, who crunched a free-kick on to the bar, conceded that "scoring the first goal might settle us down so we can play our own game instead of chasing all the time". Spurs have not enjoyed a lead at any stage in the league this season and so gummy are they in front of goal that all hopes of securing an advantage seem increasingly fanciful.

Juande Ramos is all too aware of the shortcomings. The manager admitted after the defeat that his side were "most weak" in striking positions, the loss of the 54 goals contributed by the trio of forwards last term - Defoe actually departed in January - serving to blunt ambition. The sporting director, Damien Comolli, argues that the unexpected exit of Keane to Liverpool and the protracted nature of Berbatov's departure to Manchester United choked attempts to sign satisfactory replacements. The Frenchman has bafflingly suggested "agent activity" frustrated moves for other targets, most likely Sergio García and Diego Milito, both then of Real Zaragoza.

Instead Comolli has been left isolated - despite the public calls for unity and collective responsibility issued by Ramos and Gus Poyet - and the manager must contend with a mish-mash of a front line. Roman Pavlyuchenko, cup-tied in Europe, cost £14m, though Ramos is unconvinced that the Russian can play alongside Darren Bent. The Spaniard might have entertained bids for Bent when he was flourishing in pre-season, though there never seemed any prospect of Spurs recouping their original £16.5m outlay on the England striker. Furthermore, Keane and Berbatov were still Tottenham players in the heady days of riotous friendly victories over Roma and Leyton Orient.

The only other striker is Fraizer Campbell, who was loaned almost as an afterthought by United and had not made a top-flight appearance prior to this season. It is easy to see why fans pine for the recently departed. "The signings they've made haven't settled," said the former Tottenham defender Gary Stevens. "David Bentley has been playing badly. [Luka] Modric hasn't got involved particularly. Defensively they're a bit of a liability at the moment and the goalkeeper is a bag of nerves.

"It would seem that, behind the scenes, there's an awful lot of confusion as well. Berbatov, Keane and Defoe have all left - three goalscorers, three match winners. They are left with Bent, Pavlyuchenko and, no disrespect to Fraizer Campbell, a player on loan from Manchester United who, last season, did well at Hull in the Championship. But this is not the Championship. It is the Premier League."

Tottenham have been here before. Two years ago, and with Berbatov just added to their ranks, they managed a paltry six goals in their first 10 league games of the campaign under Martin Jol. That side benefited from more defensive surety, though, and still gathered 12 points in that period, more than the current crop can secure at the same stage this time around. The worry now is that, with confidence eroded and fragility exposed, Ramos's side appear too jittery for comfort at the back.

The manager claimed this club's first trophy for nine years in February but, having won only three league games since, faces the biggest challenge of his career in England. He can cling to some hope. There will be scope to add to his squad in January, they are under-performing rather than devoid of ability and it is clearly far too early to dismiss Pavlyuchenko, so impressive at Euro 2008, as another Sergei Rebrov. Given time, the Russian might flourish. He will receive the results today of a scan on the ankle injury that forced his withdrawal against Hull. Ramos, for one, will be hoping for some rare good news to buck a troubling trend.